Ancient Chinese Temporal Category Dictionary

Author: Wang Haifeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The Dictionary of Temporal Categories in Ancient Chinese is a research-oriented dictionary that combines practical value and theoretical significance. The core part of the dictionary includes over 3,000 temporal terms, each with precise definitions and carefully selected example sentences. This alone is enough to leave one amazed, but in reality, the author's preliminary work far exceeds this scope. Due to the open-ended nature of temporal terms, it is practically impossible to collect them exhaustively. Moreover, given the scale of the dictionary and its target audience, the selection of terms was inevitable. These three thousand-plus terms represent only those with high usage frequency that were deemed too obscure for general readers without explanation. Random examples include: Bing Day, Xu Day, Bu Xi, Chang Ying, Chang Zhi, Chang Yue, Ji Hei, Ji Sheng Po, Jia Ri, Jiu Chun, Ju Jie, La Xu, Lan Shi, Meng Zhou, Miao Dong, Pu Jie, Qi Qiu, Seng Xia, Rou Ri Xiang—words that even those with higher education might struggle to define precisely! Some terms, though not commonly used or easily understood, are included because they represent typical examples. The approximately ten thousand example sentences cited under these three thousand-plus terms span from oracle bone inscriptions to Ming and Qing Dynasty novels. The vast time range, the accuracy and clarity of the reflection of the appearance of temporal terms in Chinese, all demonstrate the depth and difficulty of the author's research work. Yet, this is merely a small fraction of the material selected from the author's reference cards. Dictionary work should ideally be a collective effort, but now, completed by one person's frail body, such an innovative and large-scale work—how can it not leave one in awe!